Java Arabica Quality

The demand for premium coffee for consumption is always rising, both in the producing and consuming nations (exporters and importers). From the farm to the cup, a number of factors, including the post-harvest processing techniques, may influence coffee quality.

It was believed that the process used to turn coffee cherries into green coffee beans after harvest significantly affected the product's quality.

The effect of this post-harvest procedure on coffee quality because of additional environmental factors that might be unique to a given coffee. This could influence the decision growers make about the kind of processing that will maximize the quality of their coffee.

the effects of several post-harvest processing techniques (natural/dry, semi-washed, and fully-washed) on the sensory and physical characteristics of green Java Arabica coffee beans cultivated on Arjuno Mountain

1. Natural - The collected red cherries were sorted (floated under water) and then processed in a number of ways according to the preferred techniques to create dried coffee or coffee parchment before drying. For the natural method, whole cherries were dried under sunlight.

2. Semi-washed - The red cherries were pulped and cleaned in the other two techniques. After pulping and washing, the coffees were dried quickly without going through a fermentation process.

3. Fully-washed - The coffee was fermented under water in a closed bucket for around eighteen hours, then washed one more time before drying, as part of the fully-washed procedure. Using a dry huller, the coffee husk, parchment, and skin were removed to produce green coffee beans

When green coffee beans were dried in the sun, it was discovered that the defective beans from all processing variables had more faults than the samples that were manually dried, where the naturally sun-dried coffee produced fewer defective beans.

Interesting findings showed that, in comparison to sun-dried samples, manually dried samples tasted more nutty, earthy, and grassy. Because sun drying takes longer, the character becomes more mouldy.

The most fermented and grassy characteristics were discovered in the green coffee beans that were treated organically.  

Washing and fermentation produced green coffee with nutty and earthy notes as the most dominant aroma. The aroma of green coffee beans might be one of an important consideration when producing certain products such as green coffee powder

It was discovered that the physical and sensory qualities of green coffee beans were influenced by post-harvest processing variables. It has been demonstrated that mechanical drying will produce green coffee beans of a higher caliber and reduce losses from coffee flaws.

Sun-dried green coffee goods have a satisfactory quality for commercial use, although further work is needed, such as the sorting process.

Coffee produced using semi-washed and fully-washed methods differed in appearance and flavor from each other due to the addition of water during the fermentation process.

All coffee processing methods will eventually find a market, but which method to choose should also take into account other aspects including capital investment, manufacturing capacity, environmental considerations, and product safety.